94 (372). To Elias, Governor of the Province
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receiving from him who has given it. Even in the church the priest gives the particle, and the recipient holds it completely in his power and so brings it into his mouth with his own hand. Accordingly, it is virtually the same whether he receives one particle from the priest or many particles at one time. 4
94. To Elias, Governor of the Provincel I have been especially eager to approach your Honor myself, lest, because of my failure to appear, I should have less advantage than they who are slandering me. But, since the infirmity of my body has prevented me, afflicting me much more severely than usual, I have, of necessity, resorted to writing. Accordingly, 0 admirable Sir, when recently I met your Honor I was desirous of communicating with your Wisdom concerning all my temporal affairs, and I also wished to have some conversation in behalf of the churches, in order
4 Cf. Catholic Encyclopaedia, under 'Eucharist.' In general. it is by divine and ecclesiastical right that the laity should as a rule receive Com. munion only from the consecrated hand of the priest. Cf. Trent. Sess.
13, cap. 8. The practice of the laity giving themselves Communion was formerly. and is today. allowed only in case of necessity. In early Chris· tian times it was customary for the faithful to take the Blessed Sacra. ment to their homes and communicate privately. a custom to which St. Basil refers above. Cf. also Justin. Martyr. Apol. 1.85; Tertullian.
De. orat. 19 and Ad uxor. 2.5: Cyprian. De lapsis 132; and Jerome.
Letter 125. Up to the ninth century is was usual for the priest to place the Sacred Host in the right hand of the recipient. who kissed it and then placed it in his own mouth. Women from the fourth to the ninth centuries were required to have a cloth wrapped about their right hand in this ceremony.
1 For Elias. Governor of Cappadocia. d. Letters 84 and 96. St. Basil is here defending himself from the slanders directed against him by enemies because of the church and hospital which he had recently built in the suburbs of Caesarea. Cf. Greg. Naz .• Oratio 20; Theodoret. Eccl.
Rist. 4.19; and Sozomen. 6.34. The letter was written in 372. at the departure of Valens.
SAINT BASIL
that, henceforth, no occasion might be left for slanders. But, I restrained myself, considering that it was an altogether meddlesome act and ambitious beyond measure to impose unnecessary cares upon a man already burdened with such a mass of business. And at the same time-for the truth will be told-I hesitated especially, lest we should ever be forced by disputes with each other to wound your soul, which ought in its pure piety toward God to reap a perfect reward for its religious service. For, truly, if we shall turn your attention to ourselves, we shall leave you little leisure for the public affairs, and we shall be doing very nearly the same as one who would weigh down with additional freight the pilot who is guiding a newly built ship in the midst of mighty waves. There is need, rather, to remove some of the cargo and to lighten the load as m'lch as possible. For this reason, it seems to me, our great emperor, when he learned of our bustling activity, allowed us to govern the churches by ourselves.
Nevertheless, I wish that those annoying your honest ears be asked what harm the state suffers from us, or whether public interests either little or great have suffered loss because of our administration of the churches-unless someone might say that it brings harm to state affairs to raise up to our God a magnificently constructed house of prayer, and around it a dwelling, a stately residence reserved for the bishop and inferior quarters assigned to the servants of God according to rank. Moreover, the use of these is free to you, the officials, and to your followers. And whom do we wrong by building inns for guests, both those visiting us on their journey and those needing some treatment in their illness, and by appointing for them the necessary comforts-nurses, doctors, beasts of burden, and escorts?2 It was necessary also for oc2 At this time, the clergy acted as guides and escorts. cr. Letters 98 and 24~.
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cupations to follow in the wake of these, both those indispensable for support, and such as were devised for a more respectable manner of living. Again, other buildings suitable for these occupations had to be erected, and all of these are an ornament to the place and a source of pride to our governor, since words of praise redound upon him. Certainly, not on this account were you forced to direct your attention to usbecause you are able alone by the might of your intellect to' restore works which have fallen into ruin, to people the uninhabited spaces, and, in short, to transform solitudes into cities. Therefore, was it more consistent to drive out and to insult him who is co-operating in these matters, or to honor and respect him? And do not think, most noble Sir, that our part consists only in words, for we are already engaged in the work itself, having in the meantime helped to procure the materials.
So much, then, for my defense before the governor. But the answer in reply to the censures of fault-finders, which should be given to a Christian and a friend who is concerned for our reputation, must now be left unsaid on the ground that it is both too long for the limits of a letter and, especially, that it is not safely to be entrusted to lifeless writing. But, in order that you may not, during the time before our meeting, be led on by the slanders of certain men and forced to relinquish any of your good will toward us, act as Alexander did.
It is said that he, when one of his friends was being slandered, offered one ear to the slanderer, but carefully stopped the other with his hand, showing that he who intends to judge rightly must not be at once completely carried away by those coming first, but must keep half of his hearing unprejudiced for the defense of the absent one. 3
3 Cf. Letter 24 for this story about Alexander.